Sci Fi becomes Syfy... as if that makes a difference

For one reason or another, people have been wanting to rename the Sci Fi network for a long time. About three years ago, someone shot a fake press release around the blogoshpere saying that the SciFi network was going to be renamed SurgeTV. Even as recently as last fall, surveys were going around suggesting that the name would change to Beyond. Now we finally have an official name change from the folks at NBC Universal and it's a big one: the Sci Fi network is becoming... the Syfy network.

Doesn't sound much different, does it? The shocking thing is that the network went through 300 (!) names before picking the phonetic version of their existing name. The name is supposed to be the "best of both worlds," network president Dave Howe tells TV Week; it sounds like the old name but it looks less geeky than the abbreviation for "Science Fiction." The new name and logo will start appearing on July 7, when the dramedy Warehouse 13 is launched.

If you read the source article, there's a couple paragraphs of commentary about how the term Sci Fi is associated with male basement-dwelling gamer geeks and alienates the general public and females, and how they've spent the '90s trying to distance themselves from Science Fiction (part of the reason for the Sci Fi name, which is "cooler" than saying science fiction).

Apparently they think moving to the less-defined term SyFy, they have "the opportunities to imbue it with the values and the perception that we want it to have".

Speaking as a female Sci Fi fan/gamer geek/etc....

What a bunch of Smegheads!

I only hope the SyFy Portal guys got a huge sack of cash for the rights to the term.

Hey, why not follow in step with Pepsi, with their new logo (an abomination, the laughing stock of the design world), and that AWESOME new Tropicana packaging (already pulled). Sure, change for the sake of change is great!

Too bad we're not closer to April 1st - at least then we could imagine it's a bad April Fool's joke.

Seriously, wtf. I'm down with Andy, how is this LESS geeky?

And what happened to brand recognition? You knew when you changed the channel to "SciFi" what it was you were going to get. Or at least used to, until they added wrestling (again, wtf?) and goofy reality based shows.

"SciFi" conjures up a distinct genre in five simple letters - you don't even have to think about it. "SyFy"? What the hell does that mean?

Example: you've all seen that commercial on TV where people click their heels three times and think of home/dinner rolls? OK, now think about what kind of cultural impact that simple gesture has had in which an explanation isn't needed - you know it means "going home". Now what if they stomped their foot three times, wouldn't make any sense would it? Same deal with "SciFi" - "SyFy" is the equivalent of stamping your feet when you meant to click your heels.

The only reason is so they can now buy and produce materials that has ZERO to do with SciFi and/or Fantasy. Watch for more wrestling. Watch for more reality shows based on people hooking up. Watch for more shows aimed at the teenage demographic. MTV plays no music these days, and never ever refer to themselves as Music Television. Expect the same here.